The spectacular statue of St Michael the Archangel that adorns the tower of St Michael’s Church in Lewes has been reinstated after extensive repair work.   The 2.4m-high work was created by acclaimed British sculptor Harry Phillips who settled in the town in his later years and was a member of the church's congregation. Phillips, who completed numerous large public sculptures in his lifetime, started his career as a wood-carver, furniture-maker, blacksmith and potter. In 1950, he was appointed Head of Sculpture at Leeds College of Art in Leeds and much of his work is now housed in Leeds Museums and Galleries.   The stunning figure of St Michael the Archangel is highly dramatic with the saint suspended in a mid-air pose, arms outstretched with large wings spread behind and a large sword grasped in his right hand. The statue was installed in 1976 and was one of the last works that Phillips completed – he died the same year.   St Michael’s Church applied for a grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust in 2024. The statue had started to crack in a number of areas and there was extensive damage to the right arm and adjoining sword where water had got into the sculpture and was rusting the armature inside. Specialist repairs needed to be undertaken as soon as possible. The Trust does not normally give grants for the restoration of monuments and confines its assistance to essential works to the fabric of places of worship in Sussex. However, on this occasion, the Trustees thought that the dramatic nature of the work and its prominence in the Lewes townscape merited the Trust's support.   Scaffolding was erected and the statue carefully taken down and transported to LS Sculpture Casting in Aylesbury, which has provided specialist moulding and resin casting services for more than 40 years . David Challis said: “We first repaired the surface of the sword and arm to make a mould of it using silicone and fibreglass. This allowed us to cast a brand new arm and sword and we were able to attach this using laminated fibreglass. Fibreglass is just as strong and comes with the benefit of not being able to rust!   “We also cut off the left arm, removed the metal and reattached it using the same method. Other surface cracks and holes were repaired, and we also laminated the back of the wings as we found that these were mostly hollow with numerous holes and it was likely this is where water was getting into the sculpture. Finally, once everything was repaired, we re-patinated the sculpture using chemicals and waxes to achieve the verdigris finish.” The statue was finally reinstated at the beginning of October. Former churchwarden Andrew Smyth said: “We were delighted and very grateful for the Trust’s grant. St Michael’s has no spare money; we normally have to draw on fast dwindling reserves if we cannot get grants and donations for projects. It was a relief that we covered the costs without needing to. We always look to SHCT for financial assistance and it’s invariably a great help.”

Scaffolding that has enshrouded the tower of St Peter’s Church in Brighton has finally come down after more than a decade. The tower of the Grade II* listed building has been a huge concern for years due to eroding masonry and crumbling stone and rust. Often dubbed Brighton’s cathedral, the church one of the city’s most prominent landmarks and is considered one of the finest examples of the pre-Victorian Gothic Revival style. Restoration work has been going on for more than 15 years but it was the latest phase, begun in late 2024, which was partly funded by a £10,000 grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust. Revealed in all its splendour ... the tower of St Peter's, Brighton The most recent phase focused on structural repairs and essential stone replacement, removal of rusting cramps and extensive lime mortar repointing. Additional restoration work, which was identified and completed during the project, included the removal and replacement of external loose rendering around the south door and additional mechanical fixings added to the south parapet stones. Once the restoration work was completed, most of the scaffolding which has encased the church since 2014 could finally be dismantled and the splendid tower revealed once more. At the start of the project, building conservation specialists DBR (Southern) Limited described the building as in an "extremely dilapidated condition", with significant stone erosion and corroding iron cramps which had been exacerbated by the coastal environment. Fundraiser Sara Marsden-King said: “Thanks again for the support of the Trust. The impact of this project has been significant - not only in restoring our Tower but also in engaging our community. We are excited to continue to build on this momentum going forward.” St Peter’s Church was built between 1824-1828 and designed by Sir Charles Barry when he was only 28. He won the commission in a competition and it marked the start of a glittering career. Just ten years later, he was commissioned to design the new Houses of Parliament, the old Palace of Westminster having been destroyed in a fire. As it was ... for more than ten years!

A £6,000 grant awarded to the ancient parish church has helped  to fund a major project to re-tile the entire roof.    St Leonard’s in South Stoke, near Arundel, was built in the 11th century and has been a sacred place for almost a thousand years. Described on Visit Arundel website  as a “hidden gem”, the tiny flint church is situated in one of the most stunning parts of the South Downs National Park overlooking the River Arun. The church has no electricity or water and is lit by dozens of candles for the two regular services every month, along with weddings, baptisms and funerals throughout the year.   For much of its history, St Leonard's stood on its own as a parish church, celebrating the sacraments and preaching the gospel to nearby farm workers and their families. Since the 1920s, however, the parish has been joined with the neighbouring parish church of Arundel and became part of the Benefice of Arundel.    The church’s chronic roof issues came to a head four years ago when damp caused some serious internal plaster falls. It became clear that the only solution was extensive retiling.   Canon David Twinley, Rector at St Leonard, said that the roof had been "patched up, when necessary, over the years" but that an entire re-tile has been necessary since 2021.   As always with roofing projects in old buildings, a bat survey was required and church representatives also met up with experts from AEWC Ltd, an animal ecology and wildlife consultancy. Once St Leonards had acquired the necessary Bat Licence, work got underway in early September, carried out by Lion Roofing of Chichester.    Roof repairs underway at St Leonards, South Stoke Huge progress was made in the early weeks of the project, thanks to clement weather conditions. Now, with the scaffolding down, the work has been expertly completed in time for Christmas. New roof battens have been put in place. Old, damaged and broken tiles have been removed and the completed retiling  special access points for bats.   Both slopes of the Nave and Chancel roofs were re-weathered using salvaged replacement tiles along with new lead flashings. The roofers also installed a new felt underlayer to help provide a second barrier to water ingress and obviating the need for an expensive temporary roof.   The £6,000 grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust went a long way towards meeting the £11,000 shortfall in church funds. The entire project is costing close to £80,000. Churchwarden Colin Stepney said: “The grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust was enormously helpful. We could not have completed the project without it. “Delighted’ understates how we felt and how grateful we are to the Trust. To use an expression from the world of sport, it’s fair to say we were “over the moon!”   The Sussex Historic Churches Trust awarded a total of nearly £100,000 in grants in 2025 including St Mary the Virgin, Warbleton , St Mary’s Bepton, St Giles in Graffham, St Peter’s Westhampnett , St Peter & St Paul in Wadhurst and St Mary the Virgin, Ninfield .     Grant dates for 2026 The grant meetings in 2026 will take place on April 10  and September 18 ; applicants are advised to apply at least two weeks in advance . Please see our Grants  page for more information.

Ride + Stride: church details << Back It's possible this church will be manned during the day. St Mary Open but not manned Church Road Arundel & Bognor PO20 3TT http://www.parishofabe.org.uk/ < Previous Next >

Click here for other areas Arundel & Bognor Chichester Midhurst Petworth Westbourne Brighton Cuckfield Crawley & East Grinstead Horsham Hove Hurst & Burgess Hill Storrington Worthing Battle & Bexhill Dallington Eastbourne Hastings Lewes Rotherfield Rye Seaford Uckfield Click here for google map or scroll to bottom of page Aldingbourne St Mary Open/closed status: Open but not manned Church Road PO20 3TT It's possible this church will be manned during the day. http://www.parishofabe.org.uk/ Aldwick St Richard Open/closed status: Open but not manned Gossamer Lane PO21 3AT https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/4756/ Arundel St Nicholas Open/closed status: This church is open London Road (Top of High Street) BN18 9AT http://www.stnicholas-arundel.co.uk/ Arundel Cathedral of Our Lady & St Philip Howard Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned London Road BN18 9AY Open but please be aware of service times (confessions etc.) http://www.arundelcathedral.uk Arundel Fitzalan Chapel Open/closed status: Status unknown (via St Nicholas) BN18 9AT https://stnicholas.uk/ Arundel Nineveh House Open/closed status: Status unknown Tarrant St BN18 9DG Barnham St Mary Open/closed status: This church is open Church Lane PO22 0BP http://www.parishofabe.org.uk/ Binsted St Mary Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned Binsted Lane BN18 0LL Water will be available Bognor Regis Bognor Regis Methodist Church Open/closed status: Open and manned 76 High St PO21 1ST The church will be open from 9am-5pm. Light refreshments will be available. https://bognorregismethodist.org.uk/ Bognor Regis Our Lady of Sorrows Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned Clarence Road PO21 1LB Please be aware of confession times. http://bognorcatholicparish.co.uk/ Burpham St Mary Open/closed status: This church is closed [W side of village] BN18 9 RJ Clymping St Mary the Virgin Open/closed status: This church is open Ford Road BN17 5RB Eartham St Margaret Open/closed status: This church is closed (unnamed road) PO18 0LP East Preston Our Lady Star of the Sea Open/closed status: Status unknown Vermont Drive BN16 1JU https://ourladyep.org.uk/ East Preston St Mary the Virgin Open/closed status: This church is open Vicarage Lane/Station Road BN16 2SP Eastergate St George Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned Church Lane PO20 3UX Probably manned but to be confirmed. http://www.parishofabe.org.uk/ Felpham St Mary Open/closed status: Open and manned Felpham Road PO22 7NU Hopefully manned but definitely accessible toilet, biscuits and water/drinks http://www.stmarysfelpham.org Ford St Andrew by the Ford Open/closed status: Open but not manned Ford Lane/Station Road BN18 0BL http://www.cyfchurches.org.uk Littlehampton United Church Open/closed status: Status unknown 1 High Street BN17 5EG http://www.littlehamptonunitedchurch.org.uk/ Littlehampton St James the Great Open/closed status: Status unknown East Ham Road BN17 7DE Lyminster St Mary Magdalene Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned Church Lane BN17 7QH https://www.lyminsterchurch.org.uk/ Madehurst St Mary Magdalene Open/closed status: This church is open (off A29) BN18 ONJ http://stmarymagdalene.wix.com/madehurst-church Middleton St Nicholas Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned Elmer Road PO22 6ET http://www.stnicholasmiddleton.co.uk/ Pagham St Thomas a Becket Open/closed status: This church is closed Church Lane PO21 4NU http://www.paghamchurch.freeuk.com/ Poling St Nicholas Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned Poling Street BN18 9PT https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/5099/ Rustington St, Peter and St, Paul Open/closed status: This church is open The Street BN16 3NL http://www.sspeterandpaul-rustington.org.uk/ Rustington St Andrew Open/closed status: This church is open Holmes Lane BN16 2PY http://www.gurc.org.uk/st_andrew's.htm Slindon St Richard Open/closed status: This church is closed Top Road BN18 0RH http://bognorcatholicparish.co.uk/ Slindon St Mary Open/closed status: Open but not manned Church Hill BN18 0RB https://www.stmarysslindon.co.uk/ South Bersted St Mary Magdalene Open/closed status: This church is closed Bersted Street PO22 9QE The Church will be open between 10 and 12 for a coffee morning, anyone is welcome to come in during that time. Otherwise a sign-in sheet will be available http://www.southbersted.org.uk South Stoke St Leonard Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned (unnamed road) BN18 9PF https://stnicholas.uk/south-stoke/ Tortington St Mary Magdalene Open/closed status: This church is closed off Ford Road BN18 0BG https://sussexparishchurches.org/church/tortington-st-mary-magdalene/ Walberton St Mary Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned off The Street BN18 0UD https://www.stmaryswalberton.org.uk/ Westergate Methodist Church Open/closed status: This church is closed A29 Westergate Street PO20 3RH Sign in sheet will be available in the porch. http://www.westergatemethodistchurch.org.uk Wick All Saints Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned 154 Wick Street BN17 7JT https://www.allsaintswick.org.uk/ Yapton St Mary's Open/closed status: This church is open but not manned Church Lane BN18 0EH http://www.cyfchurches.org.uk Arundel & Bognor map1

List of churches and their status for Ride + Stride Ride + Stride: plan your route What's open for Ride + Stride? Search here by town / village or see list below. If on a laptop, you can also search by area using map below No church found Read More Area: Read More Area: Read More Area: St Bartholomew Church Lane Read More Albourne BN6 9BY This church is open but not manned Hurst & Burgess Hill Area: Alciston Church The Village Read More Alciston BN26 6UW http://www.berwickchurch.org.uk This church is open but not manned Seaford Area: St Mary Church Road Read More Aldingbourne PO20 3TT http://www.parishofabe.org.uk/ Open but not manned It's possible this church will be manned during the day. Arundel & Bognor Area: St Richard Gossamer Lane Read More Aldwick PO21 3AT https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/4756/ Open but not manned Arundel & Bognor Area: St Andrew The Tye Read More Alfriston BN26 5TL http://cuckmerechurches.org.uk/st-andrews-alfriston/ This church is open Will be hosting a sculpture exhibition as part of Art Wave during Ride and Stride Seaford Area: United Reformed Church Twytten Read More Alfriston BN26 5TL http://www.alfriston-churches.co.uk/ This church is open but not manned Seaford Area: St Michael Church Street Read More Amberley BN18 9ND This church is open but not manned Please note: there will be a very big Thanksgiving Service for the life of an eminent Amberley resident at St Michael's Church on Ride and Stride day. Storrington Area: St Mary Church Lane/Appledram Lane South Read More Apuldram PO20 7EF http://www.apuldramchurch.co.uk This church is open Chichester City & District Area: Congregational Church Street Lane Read More Ardingly Status unknown Cuckfield Area: St Peter Church Lane Read More Ardingly RH17 6UR http://www.ardinglychurch.co.uk/ Open and manned Cuckfield Area: St Saviour's Chapel Ardingly College Read More Ardingly RH17 6SQ Status unknown Cuckfield Area: St Pancras off Tye Hill Road Read More Arlington BN26 6SE http://stpancras-arlington.org.uk This church is open but not manned Seaford Area: mapAnchor Sussex Ride + Stride by area Click map areas below or scroll down for a list of areas. Hastings Battle & Bexhill (Battle, Bexhill & Ninfield) Dallington (Burwash, Dallington, Hailsham & Heathfield) Eastbourne (Eastbourne, Pevensey & Willingdon) Hastings (Hastings, Hollington & Saint Leonards) Rotherfield (Crowborough, Groombridge, Mayfield & Rotherfield) Rye (Bodiam, Northiam, Rye & Winchelsea) Uckfield (Buxted & Uckfield) Horsham Cuckfield (Ardingly, Cuckfield, Haywards Heath & Staplefield) Crawley & East Grinstead (Crawley, East Grinstead & Forest Row) Horsham (Billingshurst, Horsham & Slinfold) Hurst & Burgess Hill (Burgess Hill, Henfield & Hurstpierpoint Brighton & Lewes Brighton (Brighton, Rottingdean & Woodingdean) Lewes (Barcombe, Lewes, Peacehaven & Ringmer) Hove (Hove, Portslade, Shoreham & Southwick) Seaford (Newhaven & Seaford) Chichester Arundel & Bognor (Arundel, Bognor Regis & Littlehampton) Chichester City and District (Chichester, Fishbourne, Lavant, Selsey & The Witterings) Midhurst (Fernhurst, Midhurst & South Harting) Petworth (Fittleworth, Graffham, Petworth & Wisborough Green) Westbourne (Bosham, Funtington, Southbourne & Westbourne) Storrington (Amberley, Pulborough, Steyning & Storrington) Worthing (Ferring, Goring, Lancing & Worthing)